Lancaster: 'Care can become the best player in the world'

England head coach Stuart Lancaster has backed Danny Care to become the best player in the world - despite excluding the Harlequins star from his squad for the Six Nations.

Care was dropped after being arrested for drink-driving in the early hours of New Year’s Day, his second alcohol-related offence over the Christmas period having also been charged with being drunk and disorderly.

Lancaster will name his squad for the Six Nations on January 11 but admitted to talkSPORT he had little choice but to act now in the case of Care.

He said: “I’m disappointed to start in this way but I know Danny well. He made two errors of judgement in three weeks and for me it was unacceptable behaviour for an England player, or for anyone to be honest, so it was a difficult decision but the right one.”

Lancaster, however, insisted the scrum half’s international career is far from over, backing him to return not only a better player, but potentially the best on the planet.

“I know how much he is hurting and how much he feels he’s let people down," he added. “He’s a great lad, he’s already a world class player and ultimately I think he can become the world’s number one player.”

England were originally going to hold a pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal, but the interim coach has decided to set up a base in Leeds instead.

“The important thing for me was to reconnect with the grass-roots game, it sends the right message. The facilities are great and it’s an environment with the weather in which we’ll be playing against Scotland.”

Lancaster also welcomed the decision of Llanelli Scarlets player Ben Morgan to pledge his international future to England instead of Wales. The back-row forward is expected to go straight into the England elite player squad.

“Ben’s an Englishman and fortunately he’s chosen to stay an Englishman! I went to meet him while the Rugby World Cup was on. Obviously he had some decisions to make but he’s made those now, fortunately for us.

“He’s got to fight his way into our team but he’s a strong ball carrier and a young, exciting English player and we’re delighted to have him as one of our options.”

I know how much he is hurting and how much he feels he’s let people down